Peristaltic pumps are a type of pump which utilize a flexible tubing and a series of pressure plates, rollers, or cams, within a pump housing in order to pump liquids and/or slurries. In operation, the pressure plates sequentially occlude (e.g., pinch, compress) the flexible tubing (e.g., against the walls of the pump housing, against a second pressure plate, against one or more platens, and the like), thereby peristaltically forcing fluid through the flexible tubing. This systematic compression and decompression of the flexible tubing creates the driving force to move fluids throughout the tube, and results in a characteristic pulsating pumping pattern, often referred to as a “sinusoidal” pumping pattern.
Due to the fact that the fluid within a flexible tubing need not come into contact with any pumping elements aside from the flexible tube itself, peristaltic pumps are particularly useful for sterile fluids when minimizing contamination is of the utmost importance. Furthermore, the absence of exposed pump components in peristaltic pumps makes them especially useful when pumping caustic, abrasive, and hazardous fluids, such as fertilizers and pesticides. However, due to the pulsating nature of peristaltic pumps, the sinusoidal pumping pattern makes peristaltic pumps ill-suited in situations which require a constant pump flow. Current peristaltic pumps have been unable to produce a constant pump flow. Additionally, current methods and systems have proven to be unable to completely smooth the sinusoidal pumping pattern of peristaltic pumps.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a system and method that cures one or more of the shortcomings described above.